Dispenser for Releasing Treatment Composition Into a Toilet Bowl

ABSTRACT

A dispenser ( 1 ) for releasing a liquid treatment composition ( 33 ) into a toilet bowl and a fragrance into the surrounding room comprises a container ( 3 ) holding a non-perfumed liquid treatment composition ( 33 ) for treating flush water in the toilet bowl and a fragrance releasing gel block ( 39 ) for continuously fragrancing the surrounding air.

This invention relates to a dispenser for releasing a liquid treatmentcomposition into a toilet bowl and for releasing a fragrance into thesurrounding air.

Treatment compositions for treating the water in a toilet bowl, forexample for cleaning the bowl, disinfecting it, colouring the water,perfuming the water and/or controlling lime-scale, are well known, andmay be dispensed from a solid block held in a cage under the rim of thetoilet bowl or from a container of liquid held by the toilet rim.Further, gels for fragrance compositions are used in lavatories toprovide continuous dispensing of a fragrance into the room, over aprotracted period.

We consider that lavatory cleansing devices should preferably providetwo functions. Firstly, the device should dispense a treatmentcomposition into the bowl which will clean or disinfect the bowl aftereach use, to neutralise and/or remove any undesirable deposits which areintroduced into the bowl during normal use; and secondly the deviceshould deliver a fragrance to the air to provide a generally pleasantsmell to the lavatory and also to counter any unpleasant odours whichare released into the air while the toilet is being used.

EP-A-1469132 describes a liquid rim device having a container holding aliquid, perfume-containing composition, and a dispensing means fordispensing the composition from under the rim of a lavatory bowl intothe flush water. A separate fragrance delivery component is provided todeliver the fragrance into the ambient over a prolonged period of time.Thus, the device delivers fragrance from two sources, firstly, from theliquid treatment composition and secondly from a separate fragrancedelivery component. It is intended that the device provides acombination of ongoing fragrance delivery into the bathroom or toiletatmosphere with a perfume boost upon flushing.

The device described in EP-A-1469132 releases a fragrance both on anongoing basis and also on flushing, incorporating fragrance into thecleansing composition, to boost the amount of fragrance in the room.However, incorporating fragrance into the cleansing composition has anumber of drawbacks. Firstly, the fragrance is dispatched into the flushwater, the majority of which passes through the bowl. Hence the majorityof perfume does not remain in the bowl to beneficially fragrance theproximal air. Secondly, the perfume which remains in the bowl is highlydiluted so that the water becomes only mildly scented. This is aninefficient use of the perfume, which should be fragrancing the air andnot the water. Also, when a fragrance is incorporated in a solid rimblock or a liquid composition for dispensing into the toilet bowl andthe surrounding atmosphere during the toilet flush, it places alimitation on the make up of the fragrance and/or the otherconstituents. For example, in a device for delivering a bleach or anacidic substance to the toilet bowl it would be necessary to use ableach or acid resistant fragrance.

We have found that it is not necessary to provide any fragrance boost onflushing the toilet.

The effectiveness of the fragrance will depend on the odour which it istrying to overcome. We have discovered that, in general, when a toilethas been used, either a mild odour is released into the surrounding air,or a very strong odour. If the former, then such odours are adequatelyovercome by the on-going release of fragrance, and if the latter thenreleasing a boost of fragrance on flushing is likely to be ineffectualunless a very strong fragrance is used. Hence, it can be seen that,surprisingly, incorporating a fragrance into the cleansing compositionas well as dispensing fragrance on an ongoing basis provides noadvantages over only dispensing fragrance on an ongoing basis.

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided adispenser for releasing a liquid treatment composition into flush waterof a toilet bowl and releasing a fragrance into the surrounding air,comprising:

-   -   a container holding an unperfumed liquid treatment composition;    -   dispensing means for dispensing the liquid treatment composition        from the container into the flush water; and    -   fragrance delivery means for delivering the fragrance into the        surrounding air over a prolonged period of time, wherein the        fragrance delivery means does not deliver fragrance using the        dispensing means.

A second aspect of the invention provides a replaceable container for adispenser for releasing a liquid treatment composition into a toilet anda fragrance into the surrounding air, the container comprising:

-   -   an unperfumed liquid treatment composition;    -   an opening closed by a frangible seal through which the liquid        treatment composition can be dispensed from the container; and    -   fragrance delivery means for delivering the fragrance into the        surrounding air over a prolonged period of time, wherein the        fragrance delivery means does not deliver fragrance through the        breakable seal.

Preferred features of the invention will be apparent from the followingdescription and the accompanying claims.

The invention will be further described by way of example with referenceto the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a lavatory cleansing device forming anembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-section of the device of FIG. 1 along the line II-IIof FIG. 3;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 shows the device of FIG. 1 mounted on the rim of a toilet bowl;

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of a second embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 shows a cross section along the line VI-VI of FIG. 5, and

FIG. 7 shows a cross section through a third embodiment of theinvention.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, the lavatory cleansing device 1 comprises a mouldedplastics container 3 in the form of a plastics bottle which is invertedand held in a moulded plastics cage 5. Container 3 has an outlet 7 whichis received in an upwardly extending sleeve 9 on a bottom wall 11 of thecage 5. A hanger 13 is provided and the cage 5 includes a distributorplate 15 clipped onto the bottom wall 11 from below, pins 11 a on thewall 11 protruding through apertures 15 a in the plate 15. Plate 15 hasgrooves 17 in its upper surface 19.

Container opening 7 is closed before use by a cap 21 having a frangibleseal 23 which is displaced by a spigot 25 on the distributor plate 15 asthe inverted container 3 is inserted into the cage 5.

The device is sold with the container 3 and cage 5 separated, andreplacement containers 3 may be supplied.

The hanger 13 is shaped in the form of a coil and uncoiled to be fittedover the rim 29 of a toilet bowl 31 (see FIG. 4). A protruding portion27 of the plate 15 projects under the rim of the bowl, into the path ofthe flush water, as well known in the art.

The container 3 contains liquid treatment formulation 33 which is incommunication with the upper surface 19 of the distributor plate 15 viathe opening 7. The container 3 is preferably made of a translucentplastic so that the level of liquid 33 in the container 3 can beobserved. In use, liquid 33 from the container 3 seeps out between thebottom wall 11 and the upper surface 19 of the plate 15 into the grooves17 and is ducted into the path of flush water by the grooves 17 in theupper surface 31 of the plate 15. This construction thus far describedis well known in the art, and such devices are on sale under the brandname DOMESTOS in the United Kingdom, for example, and also seen in EP1141493.

The invention is not limited to a liquid dispensing device having theconstruction shown in FIG. 1 or as described in EP-A-1141493. Othersuitable means for dispensing liquid from the dispenser 1 may be used,such as a porous plate or a distributor with a textile sheet on itsupper surface. Such alternative distributor devices are described in WO02/064898, GB-A-2368576, EP-A-538957, WO 99/66139 and WO 00/42261 forexample.

The liquid composition 33 in the container 3 may comprise one or more ofa surfactant, a dye, a bleach, an odour neutraliser, a disinfectant anda lime-scale controller. EP-A-775 741 and the documents mentioned abovedescribe in general terms examples of such formulations and theformulation of specific liquids which do not include fragrances arewithin the knowledge of one skilled in the art. Although some of theconstituents may have an odour, they are not fragrances per se. They arenot formulated to provide a pleasant smell as their primary function.Thus, the liquid composition does not contain any fragrance or perfume.

One liquid formulation for use in the container 3 is shown in Table 1below:

TABLE 1 formulation of the liquid composition Component % by WeightAnionic Surfactant 26.5 Nonionic Surfactant 5.0 Solvents 10.0Antioxidant 0.004 Dye 0.0024 Preservative 0.1 Natrosol CelluloseThickener 0.4* Water Balance The amount of natrosol is varied to achievethe desired viscosity, which typically is in the range 350 to 5000centipoise, preferably 2000 to 4000, measured in a Broomfield LVviscosimeter, 20° C., spindle 2, speed 6.

In accordance with a particular feature of the invention, there is arecess 35 in a side wall 37 of the container which holds a block of gel39, the gel 39 being impregnated with fragrance.

The required rigidity of the gel 39 will depend in part on the size ofthe recess 35 in the wall 37 of the container 3. The recess 35 mayincorporate supporting ribs which may be encased within the gel 39 or beexposed, to provide a part of a decorative effect. A honeycomb or gridtype structure may also be provided for gels which are less selfsupporting. In another embodiment, the gel 39 may be attached to, andproject from, a generally flat wall of the container 3. In yet anotherembodiment the container may be annular or doughnut shaped to have athrough aperture and the gel is formed in the aperture.

The container 3 filled with the liquid 33 and gel 39 may be soldseparately to the cage 5, as a refill product.

For manufacture, the container 3 is filled with liquid 33 and cap 21fitted over opening 7. The container 3 is then laid on its rear surface41 and gel and perfume mixture is poured into the recess 35. The mixtureis typically heated to about 95° C. to become molten. The heat of thegel does not affect the filled bottle as the bottle and liquid form aneffective heat sink. The gel is preferably about 3 to 8 mm deep in therecess 35, more preferably about 4 to 7 mm:

A typical gel impregnated with fragrance, forming the fragrance block39, will shrink slightly, as the fragrance evaporates during use, byabout 1 mm around its perimeter, in the radial direction. By way ofcomparison, the shrinkage from front to back of the gel block 39 maytypically be less than 2 mm for a block which is 6 to 8 mm. thick. Thedegree of shrinkage will depend on the polymer matrix forming the gel,the perfume composition and the volume percentage of perfume in the gel.It is preferred that the gel cover substantially the full area of theback wall 43 of the recess 35 when the available perfume in the gel 39has evaporated.

As shown in FIG. 1, the outline of the recess 33 in the wall 37 is oval.Other shapes may be used to add aesthetic merit to the overall designwhile also helping to secure the gel to the container 3. Further, thegel composition from which the fragrance block is made could, forexample, include two or more different contrasting colours, formed in acolour pattern, for aesthetic effect. Further still, the outer surfaceof the gel may be embossed with a shape, such as dimples of differentsizes, to provide a further aesthetic effect.

For more rigid gels, the gel may be formed with apertures in the gel,thus increasing the exposed surface area of the gel for more enhancedfragrance release.

Suitable fragrance containing gel formulations are described in WO02/066084, particularly at examples 1 to 7.

Other example formulations for the gel, using a polyamide polymer are asfollows, in wt %

EXAMPLE A

Sylvaclear A200 - Arizona Chemical 54.835% Perfume - Quest Lavender andGardenia F558.940 45% UV Absorber 0.15% Colourant 0.015%

EXAMPLE B

Sylvaclear A200 - Arizona Chemical 54.825% Perfume - Quest Citrus andTangerine F558.939 45% UV Absorber 0.15% Colourant 0.025%

Preferred formulations have a range of 10% to 70% by weight fragrancedispersed in a polyamide polymer to form a gel. More preferably 20% to60%, and yet more preferably 25% to 50%. The amount of fragranceincludes any carrier for the fragrance constituents. An example of asuitable polyamide is an ETPA (ester terminated polyamide) as in WO98/17243 or ATPA.

About 30% to 90% by weight polyamide polymer and the balance formedsubstantially by a fragrance oil, with minor additives such as acolourant, is particularly preferred. More preferably the polyamidepolymer is used in an amount of about 40% to 80%, and yet morepreferably about 50% to 75% by weight of the finished composition.

It is preferred to maximise the fragrance content while maintaining agel structure which adheres to the recess the gel occupies and does notshrink substantially away from the sides of the recess. A gel havingabout 40% to 50% fragrance component and about 50% to 60% polymer isparticularly suitable.

The dispenser 1 may be packaged in a blister pack of the type known forsuch toilet products. After unpacking, the bottle 3 is inserted in thecage 5 to displace the seal 23 and the dispenser 1 is clipped over therim of the toilet, so that it hangs vertically, with the protrudingportion 27 of the plate 15 in the path of water during flushing, as inFIG. 4. The wall 37 holding the gel block 39 faces inwards of the toiletbowl. Whenever the toilet is then flushed, water passes over the plate15 and irrigates the plate, washing some of the liquid treatmentcomposition 29 into the toilet bowl.

The surface 45 of the gel fragrance block 39 is continuously exposed tothe air in the toilet bowl, which allows fragrance vapour tocontinuously disperse into the room surrounding the toilet.

In this example, the container 3 is intended to be replaced at end oflife, i.e., when either or both of the liquid composition 29 andfragrance block 39 are finished. Preferably both the liquid composition29 and fragrance block 39 will be exhausted substantiallysimultaneously, typically after about four weeks.

As the container 3 holding the gel 39 sits above the level at whichflush water is dispensed into the toilet bowl, the chance that watersplashes onto the gel 39 is reduced. This means that it is not necessaryto use gel which is water resistant, and so a greater choice of gel thatcan be used. Furthermore, the container 3 holding the gel 39 and liquidcomposition 29 is a single compact unit. This has the advantage that itis only necessary to replace a single component of the dispenser 1 whenreplenishing the device, and not the entire unit.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show an embodiment similar to the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to4 in which the gel 39′ is held in a recess 51 in the front wall 53 ofthe cage 5′. Recess 51 is formed by a flange 55 on the front wall 53.When a sufficiently rigid or self supporting gel is utilised, theportion 57 of the wall 53 within the perimeter of flange 55 may beomitted, providing an aperture in the wall 53, which is filled with thegel 39′.

FIG. 7 shows another embodiment on the invention. This embodiment issuitable for use on a Japanese style cistern in which the device ismounted above a drain hole in the cistern lid, and water from a faucetflows over the top of the device, and then into the cistern through thedrain hole. The device has a delivery plate which extend either side ofthe container 3, and downwardly depending legs 59 extend into in thedrainage aperture of the cistern lid to support the device.

Various modifications will be apparent to those in the art and it isdesired to include all such modifications as fall within the scope ofthe accompanying claims.

1. A dispenser for releasing a liquid treatment composition into flushwater of a toilet bowl and releasing a fragrance into the surroundingair, comprising: a container holding an liquid treatment composition,the liquid treatment composition not including a fragrance component;dispensing means for dispensing the liquid treatment composition fromthe container into the flush water; and fragrance delivery means fordelivering the fragrance into the surrounding air over a prolongedperiod of time, wherein the fragrance delivery means does not deliverfragrance using the dispensing means.
 2. A dispenser as claimed in claim1, wherein the dispenser includes a hanger for removably hanging thedispenser from the rim of a toilet bowl.
 3. A dispenser as claimed inclaim 2, wherein the fragrance delivery means is a gel containing aperfume.
 4. A dispenser as claimed in claim 3, wherein the gel is heldon a wall of the container.
 5. A dispenser as claimed in claim 4,wherein the gel is disposed in a recess in a wall of the container.
 6. Adispenser as claimed in claim 5, wherein the gel is formed with adecorative pattern on an exposed surface of the gel.
 7. A dispenser asclaimed in claim 3, wherein the fragrance delivery means is formed ofmaterials of two or more contrasting colours to form a visible pattern.8-14. (canceled)
 15. A dispenser as claimed in claim 5, wherein theliquid treatment composition comprises a one or more of a colorant, asurfactant, a lime-scale controller, an odor neutralizer and a bleach.16. A replaceable container for a dispenser for releasing a liquidtreatment composition into a toilet and a fragrance into the surroundingair, the container comprising: an liquid treatment composition whichdoes not include a fragrance as a component thereof; an opening closedby a frangible seal through which the liquid treatment composition canbe dispensed from the container; and fragrance delivery means fordelivering the fragrance into the surrounding air over a prolongedperiod of time, wherein the fragrance delivery means does not deliverfragrance through the frangible seal.
 17. A container as claimed inclaim 16, wherein the fragrance delivery means is a gel including aperfume.
 18. A container as claimed in claim 17, wherein the gel isattached to a wall of the container.
 19. A container as claimed in claim17, wherein the gel is disposed in a recess in a wall of the container.20. A container as claimed in claim 19, wherein the gel is formed with adecorative pattern on its outer major surface.
 21. A container asclaimed in claim 19, wherein the gel is formed of materials of two ormore contrasting colours to form a visible pattern. 22-28. (canceled)29. A container as claimed in claim 19, wherein the treatmentcomposition comprises one or more of a colourant, a surfactant, alime-scale controller, an odour neutraliser and a bleach.
 30. (canceled)